Jekyll & Hyde Inc.

Chapter Three

HYDE AND SEEK

All the way across London on the Tube, no one sat next to Daniel. His permanent scowl had a lot to do with that. He needed a stick to walk any distance, and hated the way it made people look at him. But anger and stubbornness kept him going, and by late afternoon he was limping through an only slightly run-down business area. The pavements were so crowded he was sorely tempted to strike people down with his stick when they didn’t get out of his way fast enough, and from the looks on some of their faces he thought they understood that. Daniel was not in the best of moods, but then, he rarely was.

The address Paul had given him turned out to be a pleasantly old-fashioned building, with a businesslike facade and tinted front windows, but no name on the door. Daniel shouldered it open and lurched into the lobby. The great open space was saved from a natural gloom by bright shafts of light streaming in through the higher windows. A gleaming parquet floor smelled as though it had been waxed extremely recently, and Daniel was careful to watch his footing as he slowly crossed the wide-open expanse. There was no reception desk, and no one to be seen anywhere. There wasn’t even any background music. He ended up before a long list of company names, scrolling proudly down a wood-paneled wall, and right there at the top in dignified gold leaf was: Jekyll & Hyde Inc. There was nothing to indicate what the company’s actual business might be . . . but it wasn’t as though he had anywhere else to go.

Daniel took the elevator to the top floor, and wondered all the way up what he was getting himself into. How could Jekyll & Hyde Inc. possibly help him, when all the doctors had given up? Being offered hope again was almost worse than doing without. It hurt more. And what was he going to say to these people? That he’d been told to come and see them by a dead man? No, worse than that—by an undead man . . . The lift doors finally slid open to reveal a long, empty corridor, and Daniel limped stubbornly down it until he came to the door with the right name. He stopped for a moment, to get his breathing back under control, and then braced himself and knocked loudly. A polite voice called for him to enter, and he opened the door onto a comfortably welcoming reception area.

Thick carpeting, pleasant but uncontroversial art on the walls, and a middle-aged but determinedly glamorous secretary sitting behind a desk, intent on her computer. Daniel did his best to walk normally as he approached her, barely leaning on his stick at all, though the effort brought beads of sweat popping out on his forehead. The secretary in the ruffled blouse and very smart jacket looked up and smiled at Daniel as though there was nothing out of the ordinary about him; a small politeness for which he was quietly grateful.

“Daniel Carter,” he said. “I believe I’m expected.”

He waited for her to consult some long and impressive list of appointments, and then inform him politely but firmly that his name wasn’t on it. And then he’d have no choice but to turn and walk away, back to his cold little flat and his life full of nothing. But the secretary didn’t even consult her computer, just nodded immediately.

“Of course, Mister Carter. We weren’t sure when we should expect you. Please go straight in. Mr. Hyde has been looking forward to meeting you.”

Daniel wanted to raise an eyebrow at such a casual use of the name, but he kept his face carefully impassive. If they wanted to follow the joke all the way, let them. The secretary didn’t even call through to announce him, just nodded at the door behind her and then returned to her work.

Daniel didn’t knock this time, for his pride’s sake. He just opened the door and strode in, banging his stick down hard as though to announce himself. The office was comfortably old-fashioned, designed to reassure a client that this was a place where professional work could be expected. Shelves were packed with leather-bound volumes, the usual flowers leaned resignedly in vases, and the gleaming mahogany desk was a definite antique. A single visitor’s chair had been positioned invitingly in front of it. And then Daniel got his first shock, as the man behind the desk got up and came forward to greet him.

Mister Hyde didn’t so much as stride as swagger, his every movement radiating vicious strength and brutal authority. Although he was barely medium height he had wide shoulders and a barrel chest, and his every movement put such a strain on his suit’s expensive material that Daniel almost expected him to burst right out of it. Mister Hyde moved like a man ready to walk right through anything the world could put in his way. His face was unashamedly ugly, with a pronounced bone structure, a low brow, thick dark hair, and deep-set, ice-blue eyes.

Just looking at Mister Hyde made Daniel want to hit him. There was a cold and crafty menace to the man, of evil not just acknowledged but embraced, and barely held in check. Just the look in those awful feral eyes was enough to make Daniel’s skin crawl. The look of a man who had done terrible things, and exulted in them. Something about him reminded Daniel of the hulking creatures he’d fought in the cellar underneath the bookstore—but Hyde was so much worse. Like something so vicious, so foul, it should never have been allowed to exist. As though Hyde bore proudly on his brow the mark of Cain—the Mark of the Beast.

He crashed to a halt before Daniel and grinned fiercely at him, recognizing everything Daniel was feeling and savoring it. He thrust out a huge hand and Daniel made himself shake it, even though he just knew Hyde could crush all the bones in his hand to splinters, if he felt like it. But the handshake turned out to be calculatedly brief, and when Daniel pulled his hand back, Hyde’s eyes were full of a terrible silent laughter.

“I am Edward Hyde, founder and sole head of Jekyll & Hyde Inc. My name, for all the world to see. Because I’m a great believer in hiding in plain sight. Call me Edward. Now sit down before you fall down.”

His voice was deep and harsh, and edged with a caustic mockery, as though everything in the world was only there for him to laugh at. He turned away abruptly and stomped back to sit behind his desk again. Daniel lowered himself carefully into the visitor’s chair, priding himself on not letting out a single groan.

“Edward Hyde?” he said finally, when he was sure he could trust his voice. “Like in the movies?”

“Exactly so,” said Edward, grinning unpleasantly. “I am the monster inside every man; the face most people never dare to show the world. And I love it.”

Daniel took a moment to think about that. Edward stared at him unblinkingly, and rather than meet that stare and perhaps fail to, Daniel gave all his attention to Edward’s desk. There was nothing on it apart from two photos in old-fashioned silver frames. He expected to see the usual shots of wife and family, but instead they were faded images of two men in Victorian clothes, captured in the stiff unsmiling poses of the period.

“The scrawny fellow on the left is Dr. Jekyll,” said Edward. “The one on the right is his friend and lawyer, Utterson.”

Daniel looked at him sharply. “In the original version, Utterson was the narrator. Are you saying the story was based on real people?”

“Oh yes,” said Edward. “Though of course the author found it necessary to change a lot of the details. To protect the guilty.”

“So Dr. Jekyll’s potion . . . ”

“Was real.”

“That part of the story never did make sense to me,” said Daniel. “Why would the good and saintly Dr. Jekyll want to take a potion he knew would turn him into someone utterly evil?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” said Edward. “Perhaps he saw it as releasing the potential in him. To be strong, instead of weak.”

“So, what relation are you, to the original Mr. Hyde?” Daniel said politely.

Edward’s grin widened. “I am the original Mr. Hyde. I am what the potion created, still alive after all these years and stronger than ever. Now . . . if I told anyone else that, they’d think I was crazy. But you’ve already seen your fair share of monsters, haven’t you?”

Daniel thought of Paul, and the horrors in the cellar, and nodded slowly.

“I’ve read your official file,” said Edward. “Passed on to me by one of my contacts inside the force. I have people everywhere . . . Your story made for fascinating reading. Someone who’d been broken by contact with the underworld of monsters, but hadn’t let that beat him.”

“Are you sure about that?” said Daniel.

“Of course,” said Edward. “Or you wouldn’t be here.”

“My friend Paul came to see me,” said Daniel. “He’s a vampire now. And that word didn’t throw you at all, did it?”

“Not in the least,” said Edward.

“He told me about the vampires, the werewolves, and the Frankenstein family.” Daniel made himself say the incredible names steadily, not allowing himself to sound uncertain. “Paul proved to me that he was . . . undead. So I have to believe.”

“Then let’s start with the Frankenstein Clan,” said Edward. “The gods of the living scalpel, the sculptors of flesh. Always on the cutting edge of medicine, and what it can do to people. Some of which you saw, during that ill-judged raid of yours.”

“It wasn’t my idea,” said Daniel. “I had no idea of what I was getting into.”

“What did Commissioner Gill think she was sending you into, I wonder?” said Edward. “I don’t suppose it matters now. You’ve seen what the Frankenstein Clan does. To them, we’re all just grist to their mill. But if you think they’re bad, they’re nothing compared to the Vampire Clan.

“Their elders are centuries old, steeped in blood and horror. They specialize in the more lucrative forms of seduction—everything from high-priced escorts to targeted honey traps. Because you only ever see what a vampire wants you to see, they can be anyone you ever dreamed of.”

Daniel wondered if the Paul he saw was the real thing, or just a mask Paul allowed him to see. But then, why would Paul want to look that bad? Unless there was something even worse, underneath . . . He realized his thoughts were drifting, and made himself concentrate.

“Vampires can be your first love, or anyone you’ve ever lusted after from afar,” said Edward. “Your wildest dream and most secret fantasy. But of course once they’ve fed on you, you’re their slave forever. You’d be surprised how many powerful people bare their throat in secret. And then, there are the mummies . . . ”

“Hold it,” said Daniel. “You mean . . . actual mummies?”

“Of course,” said Edward. “When those Victorian archaeologists started breaking into long-lost Egyptian tombs, some of them were astonished at what they found waiting beyond the locked doors. The mummies weren’t supposed to survive what the priests did to them, but the drugs they’d already taken kept death at arm’s length. So that when their tombs were finally opened, the mummies got out.

“And now the Clan of Mummies deals in drugs—everything from out-of-this-world highs to the promise of immortality.” Edward shook his great head. “I’m not convinced by that last one. The mummies aren’t immortal, just remarkably well preserved.

“The werewolf clan was pressed into service long ago, to provide protection for the other monsters. They’re really just attack dogs on short leashes, used to keep peace between the Clans and deal with any outsider who might pose a threat. Second-class monsters, because sometimes they’re only human.

“And finally, the ghouls are there to dispose of anything incriminating—including all the inconvenient corpses that inevitably pile up in the monsters’ wake.”

“What are ghouls, exactly?” said Daniel.

“Appalling creatures with revolting table manners,” Edward said briskly. “Useful enough, but trust me when I say you wouldn’t want to know them socially. Of course, they don’t get out much.”

He stopped and leaned back in his chair, still smiling his unpleasant smile, while he studied Daniel to see how he was taking all of this. Somewhat to his surprise, Daniel found he believed every word. Partly because of what he’d seen in Paul’s face, but mostly because of what he’d discovered in the cellar. You have to believe in monsters, when they kill your friends and ruin your life.

“Where do you fit in?” Daniel said finally.

“I’m the only monster who wouldn’t lower himself, to hide from the world inside organized crime,” Edward said flatly. “For me, it was never about the money. I glory in being what I am. And now . . . I’m the only monster prepared to do it to his own kind. Just for the fun of it.”

Daniel sat back in his chair, fighting hard not to wince as stabbing pains shot through him. He kept his gaze fixed steadily on Edward, his face calm even as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. It seemed to Daniel that he was being asked to take an awful lot on trust, just because Edward Hyde said that was the way things were. All of Daniel’s old policeman’s instincts stirred at the back of his mind, reminding him that he was being told all of this by a man who repulsed him on every level. A man who claimed to be the incarnation of pure evil. Hardly a basis for trust . . . Daniel met Edward’s sardonic gaze with his best hard look.

“You’ve been Edward Hyde for . . . how long now?”

Edward grinned. “I have seen London rise and fall, seen generations come and go, but I go on.”

Daniel wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, but felt he should say something.

“The world must have changed a lot since your day.”

“The world changes, but I don’t,” said Edward, with a certain grim satisfaction. “I’m as perfect now as when I first escaped from the shadows of a lesser man.”

Daniel pressed on, in search of a weak spot he thought he could sense, if not actually name.

“But . . . don’t you feel lost, out of place, in a world that’s so different from the one you were born into?”

Edward shrugged his heavy shoulders. “People are still people. They just have more toys. And the monsters are still monsters.”

“But do you see yourself as a monster because you don’t belong? Do you stay a monster because that’s all you know?”

Edward’s frown lowered, becoming threatening. “Don’t think this little chat we’re having is in any way personal, boy. We’re not here to get to know each other. I’m just offering you a chance to become so much more than you are, so you can get your revenge. Because I have a use for a man like that.”

“And I have to decide whether I trust you enough to take that offer,” Daniel said flatly.

Edward smiled, though it didn’t even come close to touching his eyes. “What’s trust got to do with it? You’ll take Dr. Jekyll’s marvelous Elixir because it’s in your best interests to do so. Unless you want to stay a cripple all your life . . . while the people who did this to you get away with it.”

Daniel winced, just a little, at the word cripple, though he couldn’t deny it. All the muscles in his back, and in his legs, were screaming at him for having sat still for so long. He wasn’t even sure he’d be able to get up out of the chair without having to ask for help. If the Elixir really could do everything Edward said it could, then it was everything he needed, an answer to all his problems and all his prayers. And yet, still he hesitated. Because the man offering him a hand out of hell made his skin crawl every time their eyes met. A man who boasted of being evil. And Daniel knew what happened to people who made a deal with the devil.

He thought hard, letting Edward wait. Why would a man like that offer a second chance at life to a man like him? Daniel fought down the pains that threatened to unman him, and concentrated on what to say next, determined to drag some useful information out of the man who sat watching from behind his desk, like a spider contemplating a fly hesitating on the edge of its web.

“Do you understand the modern world?” he said slowly. “You know an awful lot about the monsters, but what do you know about phones and computers and social media? Does any of that make sense to you? Or do you feel abandoned by a world that’s moved on and left you behind? So all you have left is your own private war; a monster fighting monsters . . . ”

“You are venturing into dangerous territory,” said Edward. “We’re here to talk about your life, not mine.”

Deep inside, Daniel smiled slowly. He was getting close to something; he could feel it. He kept his voice carefully casual, as though they were just talking.

“How have you survived all these years?” he said. “A man so completely different from every other man? Walled up in your own private kingdom because you know people would drag you out into the street and beat you to death with their bare hands, if they found out who and what you really are? How have you endured being so alone, for all these years?”

Edward grinned suddenly. “I’m only alone when I choose to be. You’d be surprised how attractive pure evil can make a man, in some women’s eyes. But if you’re asking what I think you’re asking, then no, there has never been a single soul in my life that I was close to, who mattered to me at all. And I like it that way. I don’t need anybody.”

“There’s always the organization you founded,” said Daniel. “Jekyll & Hyde Inc. Do you see them as your family?”

“Hydes don’t do love, or sentiment,” Edward said calmly. “We don’t have any need, or any use, for friendship or loyalty. We stand alone, because we can. Once you’ve taken the Elixir, you’ll stop asking questions like these. Because the answers won’t matter to you anymore. You won’t give a damn for the state of the world, or the people in it. Because Hydes stand outside all of that—predators, in a world of prey.”

“You’re not exactly selling this new life to me,” said Daniel. “Why would I want to become someone like that?”

Edward leaned forward across his desk, his eyes holding Daniel’s as he went on the attack.

“I’ve read your file, policeman. You have no friends or family, because they all deserted you when your life changed. You keep trying to fathom me, but I have no trouble seeing right through you. Everything you care about has been taken from you, leaving you alone in the world. Nothing left to make your life worth living . . . apart from a raging need to make the monsters pay for what they did to you. I can make you strong enough to take the world by the throat and shake some personal justice out of it. And you do want that, don’t you?”

“To do the right thing? To make a difference? Yes,” said Daniel. It was the only thing he was still sure of.

Edward clasped his huge hands together. “There’s a war going on in the secret parts of London, between the organization I created and the organized crime of the monster Clans. And there’s a place in that war for you . . . if you want it.”

“What use can I be?” Daniel said harshly. “You must know what the Frankensteins did to me.”

“Jekyll & Hyde Inc. is finally getting ready to wipe out all the monster Clans,” said Edward. “It’s taken me a long time to reach this point, and now I need warriors. Not just soldiers who can follow orders, but someone who’s prepared to do whatever it takes to win. Because they hate monsters almost as much as I do.”

He pulled open a drawer in his desk, brought out a glass vial half full of liquid, and placed it on the desk between them. Daniel couldn’t keep from leaning forward, for a better look.

“Dr. Jekyll’s infamous Elixir,” said Edward. “The same potion that produced me from the depths of a lesser man’s mind. Never aging, and growing stronger with every year that passes . . . because I will never again turn back into the small man who first drank this potion.”

“You don’t trust him to approve of what you’re doing?” said Daniel.

“He always was weak,” said Edward. “Never daring to pursue any of the things he really wanted. And there’s always the chance I might turn back into a man who should have died long ago.” He sat back in his chair, and his smile widened. “This is what you’ve been seeking your whole life, Daniel: a chance to be strong enough to do what needs doing. Drink it . . . and release the real you.”

Daniel picked up the vial, and was surprised at how steady his hand was. “What’s in it?”

“Think of it as rocket fuel for the imagination,” said Edward. “Something that can rebuild your body according to your deepest desires.”

“How can a drug do that?”

“What do you care?”

“Will I become . . . like you?”

“It’s different for everyone,” said Edward. “The Elixir gives shape to all your deepest desires, makes them manifest in new flesh and blood and bone. Your hidden fires will produce a furnace to shape the new you.”

“A man with no conscience?” said Daniel.

“What use is a conscience to a man set on revenge? I’m offering you a chance to bring down the monsters who ruined your life. Who destroy the lives of everyone they touch. Why are you even hesitating?”

Daniel frowned. He wasn’t sure.

“Why did Paul send me here?”

“I have contacts inside all the Clans. Paul gave me your file. He knows I’m always looking for a few good men with monsters inside them. Now either drink the potion or get the hell out of my office. I have a war to fight.”

The Elixir didn’t look like anything special. It didn’t glow with a sinister light, or heave and roil inside the glass. It was only a thick colorless liquid . . . and just possibly a way out of hell. A chance to have a life again, and strength enough to force the world to make sense. In the end, that was all that mattered. Daniel unscrewed the cap, and then looked at Edward.

“Will it taste bad?”

Edward seemed a little taken aback, presented with the one question he hadn’t anticipated.

“It’s been so long I honestly don’t remember. Does it matter?”

“No,” said Daniel.

He gulped the oily stuff down and it exploded inside his head. Every color was suddenly overwhelmingly vivid, every sound full of depth and meaning. The whole world seemed to snap into a sharper focus. The change when it came wasn’t painful, it was orgasmic. Daniel cried out with joy as his flesh melted, surging this way and that over rapidly thickening bones. He half fell out of his chair, and then lurched back and forth across the office, growing taller and stronger in sudden bursts. He snatched up his walking stick from beside the chair, and broke it in two with no effort. He threw the pieces away and laughed out loud, and Edward laughed with him. Like two wolves howling in the night, just for the sheer savage pleasure of it.

Daniel looked down at himself. He’d grown large enough to burst open all the buttons on his shirt. His whole body buzzed with new strength. He felt like he could take on every monster in the world, and trample them underfoot. And then a voice called out to him—but it wasn’t Edward’s. Daniel turned slowly to look at a mirror hanging on the wall. His face filled the glass, grinning back at him.

“Welcome to the new you,” said his reflection. “What are you going to do now?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” said Daniel. He moved over to stand before the mirror. “What are you supposed to be—my conscience?”

“Hardly. I’m the voice in your head that tells you what you really want, instead of what society thinks you should want. I’m all the ideas that come to you in the small, slow hours of the morning. Think of all the appetites we can indulge, and the pleasures we can sink ourselves in. And then, we can punish everyone who ever hurt us. Not just the monsters, but all the bastards who refused to believe us. We can tear them apart with our bare hands and dance on the pieces. What do you say?”

“Not right now,” said Daniel. “I have things to do.”

“I’ll be waiting,” said his reflection.

Daniel turned away from the mirror to look at Edward. “Did you hear any of that?”

Edward shrugged. “What goes on inside your head is your business.”

Daniel glanced back at the wall, and wasn’t entirely surprised to find there was no mirror hanging there. He looked down at himself and smiled slowly.

“Is this change permanent?”

“If you want,” said Edward. “Another dose of the potion will turn you back into your old self—but why would you want to be such a small and broken thing, when there is life to be lived and monsters to be slain?”

“When do I get to fight these monsters?” said Daniel.

“When you’re ready,” said Edward. “You’ve a way to go yet. You can make a start by choosing your new name.”

Daniel thought about it, and then smiled.

“Daniel Hyde. Because, basically, I’m still me.”

“Of course you are,” said Edward Hyde.